Décor with a Warm Touch

 

 

 

The cold season has started early this year. The intensity of the biting cold points to very low temperatures, come July. In a generally warm and sunny country like ours, this season always seems to catch most of us unprepared. Yes, you know that it’s always cold in July but you give it little thought until that evening when you crawl into bed and your sheets feel like they are wet.

 

 

 

 

This season may not be your favourite, yet in your attempt to keep your home warm, there lies an opportunity to redecorate and restyle it. The cold need not force you to do a décor overhaul, but a few changes will go along way in creating a warm and attractive environment that will do more than just keeping the chills at bay. Here are some tips on how to go about it.

 

Rearrange your Furniture

Furniture breaks the flow of inhouse wind/draft. So the more furniture in a room, the warmer it is. However, you need not purchase new furniture items to achieve this effect. Pulling the furniture you have close together will work just as well. If you have a fire place or an electric heater, the furniture should be pulled away from the walls and brought closer to the heat source. It helps to break up the room into different funtional areas like (TV area, conversation area, and reading area) by clustering different groups of furniture together.

 

Texture and Pattern

Smooth surfaces like glass, stainless steel and plastic look and feel are very cold. Textured surfaces on the other hand, trap pockets of air and add warmth. Where possible, bring in textured materials and items like mats, table cloths and wall hangings. Likewise, textured accessories such as vases and dried flowers will retain ambient heat. For cushion covers, choose from fleece wool, or cashmere and casually place one across the arm of a chair or over the back of a sofa, or at the foot of a bed.

 

Introduce Warm Colours

Dark colours absorb and retain heat while light colours reflect and lose heat. To warm up your home, introduce colours such as red, orange and yellow into your decor scheme. This will particularly help warm up rooms that receive no direct sunlight as they tend to be coolest in the cold months. You need not change your entire colour scheme; you can add a colourful cushion to your sofa and bed. Bring in extra blankets and a mattress cover to provide extra warmth for your bed. Accessories in warm colours also help to make the room appear smaller, and therefore, warmer.

Floor Coverings

Ceramic tiles, PVC tiles, marble and stone flooring will certainy be cold in such weather. On the other hand, a wooden floor is much warmer. Replacing your flooring material with a warmer material would be expensive. Instead, use a fluffy carpert on your living and bedroom floors to provide softness under the feet and insulation from the cold. For further luxurious comfort, ensure that your carpet is lined with under-felt. In addition, provide area rugs for hallways, thick bath mats and bedside rugs.

 

Heat your Home

In addition to firing up the fire place or turning on the electric heater, installing artificial lighting such as floor and table lamps will provide ambient lighting that creates a feeling of warmth and comfort. Finally, place scented candles (such as apple and cinnamon scents) on mantels, coffee and dining tables, bedside tables and in the bathroom. These will cast a warm glow in the rooms.